Former Sri Lankan cricketer and World Cup winner Sachithra Senanayake has been taken into custody on allegations of involvement in match-fixing. Senanayake surrendered to the Special Investigation Unit of the Sports Ministry and is set to appear in court. He is accused of attempting to manipulate match outcomes during the 2020 Lanka Premier League (LPL). He has become the first cricketer to face prosecution in the island nation’s cricket history.
Reports suggest that Senanayake contacted two fellow cricketers by phone from Dubai during the inaugural LPL season in 2020 in an effort to fix matches. In August 2023, a travel ban was imposed on him by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court as part of an investigation into match-fixing suspicions. Following directives from the Attorney General, the Sports Ministry’s Special Investigation Unit pressed criminal charges against Senanayake, resulting in a three-month travel restriction.
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This action followed a directive from the Attorney General, who instructed the Special Investigation Unit of the Sports Ministry to launch legal action against him. Senanayake, aged 38, has strongly refuted the accusations, characterizing them as baseless and suggesting they are part of a deliberate effort to tarnish both his and his family’s reputation.
Throughout his cricketing career, Sachithra Senanayake represented Sri Lanka in a single Test match, 49 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 24 T20 Internationals from 2012 to 2016. He gained recognition for his adeptness in off-spin bowling, showing remarkable precision in maintaining the right line and length. In total, he secured 53 wickets in ODIs and 25 wickets in T20 matches.
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